The Matchmaking Booth
by KieBear
Summary: Elle Evans finished the summer with a bang. She got the boy that she wanted and spent every waking day with Noah Flynn. But that was last summer... Now its a new school year. Overwhelmed with constant distractions that focus her to the future, Elle Evans' high school career crescendos into a much bigger event than expected. She must make a choice Between her past and her future.
1. Chapter 1

"Elle!" A voice called for me from downstairs. The voice matched that of my father's. His voice called out to me along with the sounds of pots and pans clinking around in the kitchen. My guess was that he was trying to cook breakfast. Yes I said trying. My dad wasn't that of the best cook, but ever since mom died, he really tried his best.

"I'm leaving dad, just give me a minute please." I call back to him. I run to my closet to look for another shirt to wear, since my current one looked a little too stained for my liking. The clock to my left read 8:45, and a small part of me knew that I would be late to school, that was, without a doubt true. I had woke up so late this morning, my hair looked like bed hair and my face looked like I had just died and decided to come back to life just only seconds ago. Quickly, I rummaged through my closet, only to find a shirt in the back.

"Elle, you're going to be late!" My father warned again. I groan to myself and slipped the shirt on, leaving my dirty one spayed across my bed. I give myself one last disappointing look in the mirror before I run downstairs. As I bolt downstairs, I make the effort of fixing my tie on my neck, nearly tripping on the last step. My car keys clinged in my hands as I sped past my dad and out the door.

"Bye Elle." he calls out to me before I shut the door.

My Ford Escort unlocked it's doors the minute I pressed the command button and I slipped into its grey leather seats. After putting my keys in the ignition and starting the car, my phone binged. My heart sped up a beat as I turned to look at the notification bar. I couldn't help but feel my heart drop just a little when I see Lee's name as the owner of the text. Not that I didn't love Lee. His company was always needed, no matter the circumstance.

Are you driving yourself today? I text back a quick "Yes" as I shift the gear and pull out of the driveway. Lee and I had kind of made a schedule for school pick up and drop offs. Usually, either he takes me, or I take him, but today, since I was running really late, I decided to take Cleo out for a spin. Yes I had decided to name my escort Cleo, and to be honest, it's really a long story. Even then, I'm driving to a school that's 10 blocks from here, might as well pass some time by elaborating. Cleo the name, comes from the fact that my dad bought this off from someone that had egyptian relatives, so when I actually went through the car, I found some interesting things in the trunk and back of the front seats. So I named this pretty darling Cleo, short for Cleopatra. I could remember telling Lee the story and how hard he laughed at my reasoning. I couldn't help it though, it's not everyday you find some egyptian artifacts in your car that your dad claimed was not "pre-owned". I take a sharp right into the school parking lot and shut off my car. My phone went off again and I got butterflies in my stomach. They left just as quick as they came when I saw that Rachel texted me.

You're coming to school right? I heave a sigh and slam my head into the wheel, a little to hard for my liking. My car cries out and I shoot up, my nerves raging. I almost scream at how loud my car honked. I exhale and lean back into my seat, sinking as far as I could in it. There weren't any people out, but I just felt like I needed to hide. I had been like this for what seemed like weeks, so jumpy and on edge, everytime my phone rings… I shake out my thoughts and step out with my bags, heading to class. "Yes." I reply back to Rachel.

School started about 2 months ago, hence it was late October, and senior year wasn't that much off from junior year. The only difference is that teacher's stop giving a fuck about you. The only thing they care about is you walking out the door and on the stage to graduate and get the hell out of here. And that's just what I plan on doing...I think. I walked into my first period that I shared with Rachel. Her hair was curled and the front of it was pulled back into a black little berret. She smiled at me as I walked in, watching me take a seat next to her. Mr. Reed was in the middle of a lesson, his body pinned to the whiteboard, scribbling something on the board. I placed my bags on the table and pulled out my journal, eager to just mold into whatever we were doing. I start writing whatever lines Mr. Reed had previously.

"Tardy pass, misses Evans?" I look up in confusion and bite my lip. Mr. Reed shook his head a little, waiting for my answer. I slowly shake my head. "Then, I suggest you go and get one then." Mr. Reed spoke in his nasally tone, looking up at me through his glasses. Those stupid glasses that give me enough anger to fuel a train. The way he looks and acts, just irks me, and I certainly don't know why. I groan and hop off the stool. My shoes echo on the floor as I make my way out the class and shut the door behind me. I had only been late about 4 other times, this year, and with each time, I had to go and get a tardy pass for Mr. Reed. I don't know why I even tried to sneak in class and thought I could get by with it. The tardy pass rule was something that started this year, you know, since us students could never get to class on time in the morning and after lunch. After a certain amounts of tardies, kids will have to go to Saturday detention. It's supposed to be some new disciplinary measure to keep everyone in check. The only flaw I can say that comes with the tardy pass rule, is the fact that you are missing class, just for the purpose of getting a slip of paper that your teacher is just going to trash. Not only that, but it left me alone with my thoughts, which I can say, was a very dangerous thing right now. I walk down the quiet empty hall, comforted by only my thoughts. I don't want to leave my subconscious in control, because I start to think of things that I don't want to. The mind starts to take over if you leave it unoccupied, and that's what happened as I walked this long hall to the office. Things start coming to mind that I wished not to talk about and memories flashed by me. I start to think about h-.

"What room number?" The head clerk pulls my attention back to the now. I hadn't even realized I had made it to the front office. It's things like this that terrify me. I don't even know my surrounding when I start to get lost in thought. When I start to think about him.

"Uh 304." I answer back smally. The lady typed on her computer, counting me late in attendance and printed out in a sheet of paper, my tardy pass. "Miss Evans, you have had five official tardies in one semester, which means saturday school for you missy." She looks at me through her glasses, like Mr. Reed does. I place my palms on the counter clearly in shock.

"What?"

"You have been late for five times, I suggest you watch what time you wake up."

"I can't have saturday detention, I was going to the fall fest with a couple of friends tomorrow." I plead out to her, my voice coming off as a whine. The lady still has no sympathy for me.

"Sorry, don't be late anymore." She said as she printed out another sheet, my detention slip. She placed it in front of me and I watched with an open mouth, her stamp a red detention mark on it. "See you tomorrow at 9am." She holds up the paper and my body takes it, my mind not having enough time to process all of this. How could I have been so clueless and ignorant? Ugh. I slowly turn around and walk out of the office, the hot air of the hallways welcoming me.. In my mind, I knew that it was my fault, but I blamed the new stupid school system. Not only was I late and missing parts of my lesson, that could potentially have a pop quiz over next week, but now I was going to detention. What a fun Friday for me. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Lee. "Can't go to the fall fest tomorrow." I speed walk back to class, focusing on thinking only about Chemistry. I must have been really desperate, because I hated chemistry with all my stinking guts. In fact, I hated just about every class here at the High School, well except for soccer. But I was desperate, not only did I not want to delve into this detention case, but I didn't want to let my subconscious take control of my delicate thoughts. I walked back in class while Mr. Reed was in the middle of a lecture. He paused to look at me as I walked up to him. I forced a smile as I held out the flimsy piece of paper. Mr. Reed took the sheet and read over it, as if he was actually absorbing what it was saying. Then he crumbled it up and threw it in the trash. I winced to myself, attempting to not make my anger known, I will say this once again, tarcy passes are worthless and irrelevant. He inclines his head towards my desk and I take my seat next to Rachel. She looked down at the red stamp on my detention paper.

"You have detention tomorrow?" She asked shocked. I look up at her with her goggles on her head and shake my head.

"Yeah. Looks like I won't be going to the fall fest with you guys after all." She handed me a pair of goggles.

"Don't worry, there won't be anyone but a bunch of couples there anyway…" she trailed off as she read my body language. I don't know if she meant it as a comfort thing, but for some reason, when it came out, it didn't make me feel any better.

"Yeah…" was all I said and we went back to looking at reactions if the elements.

My day had taken quite the downfall after that. It always did for my second period. My counselor must have thought it was a funny joke, but it was just plain cruel. She decided that it would be wise to put me in art. Art. Art! When have I ever picked up a pencil to do anything but scribble down some notes or problems? When have I ever used a paintbrush to paint on my "canvas"? Not only was I terrible at art, but my teacher was just despicable. Her name was"Ms. Nelson", she told the class to call her. I remember my first day in her class, coming in and not recognizing anyone in the class, so I took a seat in the back. By myself. The older woman in maybe her late fifties, walked into class and gave us a big smile. She seemed nice, but something about her was just off to me. She gave the class an enormous lecture about how art was a form of expression that was losing it's form, or in her terms, "withering away at the sake of the intolerable." She went on about how she expects everyone in the room to progress and grow from their art form. At some point in the class, it began to be amusing just how dedicated to art she was. She passed out some paper and told us she was going to play a song, and while that song was playing, we would sketch whatever came to mind. When she passed out the papers and played to songs, she pulled on her goggle glasses and walked down the aisles. Giving pats on the back or even kissing some of the girl's cheek. Something about that just screamed sexual harassment, but I'm not going to cross that bridge. By the time the music stopped she forced every single one of us to walk up to the front of the class and share what we drew and why. See that's where I ran into a problem. As the song played, I heard nothing that made me want to draw. I just held my pencil on the paper and waited, patiently for something to come to mind. Student after student came up to share what they drew. Since the song had tropical theme, Matthieu decided to draw a rainforest, no not Matthew, but Matthieu. Matt is a foreign exchange student from France, that came here for an entire semester of school. As much as I'd like to talk to him, and ask about his culture compared to here, I never get the time. Anyway, going back to his piece, it was a tropical rainforest with rain droplets clouding the paper. It was as if the paper was the camera lens drenched in the rain. I had to admit, it did look really good. Ms. Nelson even loved it.

"Yes!" She cried out. "Now, that is art." She turned to the class. "This is what I mean, I want to see growth, I want you to walk out of that class everyday, feeling something amazing and new." She expressed. Then it was my turn. I had to go behind him. I had to follow behind the kid who basically outdid everyone in the whole class. I hold my hand up.

"Uh, can I just go next time?" I ask. Ms. Nelson shook her head.

"No!" she exclaimed. "I won't extend time for you but not your fellow students!" Something in her tone not only scared me, but made me really nervous to say anything or do anything in the class furthermore. I swallow and slowly nod. Well here goes the embarrassment. I walk up to the front and show the class...my blank...sheet of paper. Ms. Nelson frowned and I looked over to her. I swallow and start to speak, honestly.

"I didn't get any inspiration from this piece." I explain to her and turn to the class. "Honestly, me being in this class is a mistake because I don't really like art." There was a small gasp in the room, and my stomach sank. Those words changed how Ms. Nelson felt about me from then and until now. Even Miles, the guy who never says anything in any class I have him in, joined in with the gasp.

"Well, if you don't like this class…" Ms. Nelson started walking to the door. "Then get out!" she exclaimed. I jumped at the sudden use of tone and almost bit my tongue.

"There will be a 0 in this class until you transfer out." Quickly, I grabbed my stuff and scurried out of the class. She didn't hesitate to slam the door behind me. "And don't come back." She added as the door comes into contact with my butt and I yelp. My books fly to the floor and I rush to pick them up. Gosh, leave it to me to say the wrong things, I know I didn't like art, but now I have a vendetta on my back. I sigh and fix myself up and my dignity. There was a black figure crouching by the lockers across from the room. I glance up at him and we make eye contact, a grin spreading on this young boy's face.

"Wow." he started. "You really must've fucked up." I roll my eyes. The boy looked my age, he had the typical looks, blond, blue eyes, straight pearly white teeth. But he had a punk rock look to him, a tight black shirt, black jeans, black booties and a pair of black ear piercings.

"What makes you say so." I say raising my eyebrow. As he spoke I looked for a tongue piercing like Conor's, but I couldn't find one.

"Because you got your ass spanked by the door Sherlock." He shakes his head and starts walking the opposite way of the front office.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" He looked back and pointed on of the drumsticks he had in his hand to the classroom I had just come out of.

"Yeah. Art." He admits. "But now that I see you, I think that I'm gonna change my judgment." He jokes dryly and turns his back to me. So mysterious, to think of it, I have never even seen that dude before in my life. He had to be a new student.

I make my way down the halls to the counselors office feeling frantic. I needed to get out of that class, not only was Ms. Nelson a nutcase, but she was ruthless about getting her point across. God forbid anyone that ever crossed her path (me). However, I only said I didn't like art, what if someone criticized her painting, or called art a waste of credit and time. I shiver in my seat as I wait outside of Ms. Shirley's office. The front office was always cold and quiet. No one spoke and if they did it was always in a whisper. There were background sounds of copy machines making paper, and computer keys typing away. I hold my arms wishing I brought a jacket, but why would I, it was still summer outside. Ms. Shirley's door creaked open.

"Ms. Evans?" She calls in her, doll like voice. Ms. Shirley had been the school counselor for as long as I could remember, that being freshman year. She was incharge of getting our schedules in track and making sure that we all graduate in one piece. She looked up at me as I walked in. Cracking a smile and setting aside a stack of papers.

"Good morning Ms. Evans, what can I do for you?" I smile.

"Well as you know, school has just started and it's my first day, but there is a problem with my schedule." She gave me a look that urged me to continue. "I was placed in Art V with Ms. Nelson, and I have never even taken art." Ms. Shirley reached out for my schedule and took a look at it.

"Oh yeah." She placed it down. "I had to do that Ms. Evans, or you wouldn't have been able to graduate this year." I open my mouth and she smiles. "You need at least one fine arts credit to graduate. And you hadn't gotten one."

"What about introduction to expressive arts?" The dumbest class you would ever have to take as a freshman, you basically just sat in a circle with your desks, and talked about your feelings.

"That doesn't count." She concluded. "If art is not for you, you can look to other forms of the fine arts credit, like dance and theatre art-" I raise my hands up in surrender.

"N-No, no, no can do." She nods her head and sighs.

"Well then I'm sorry, but you have to stay in Ms. Nelson's class." my stomach sinks.

"Why Art V, can I take Art I?" I question, looking for any solution but walking back into Ms Nelson's classroom.

"It won't make any difference, Ms. Nelson is the only Art teacher on campus." She expresses calmly. I widen my eyes in shock and grip the edges of my seat.

"Please, she's just so…" I start, my voice cracking.

"Passionate." Ms. Shirley finishes for me. "Yes we know." She smiles and hands me back my schedule. "Don't worry, she's always tough at first, but you'll learn to love her." Ms. Shirley walks around the desk to help me out.

"Ms. Shirley the school really does have a problem then." She looks up at me concerned.

"What is it?"

"You only have 1 art teacher for all grade levels." I cry out, flinging my arms around. "I mean, you induce accusations about the high levels of tardiness, but yet you still have one teacher to maintain that one subject, t's simply cruel." She laughs quietly and gently guides me to the door.

"You are one funny child." She says and send me back to class. But I didn't go there, I could never. Instead I hid out in the bathroom, contemplating skipping every class period I had with Ms. Nelson. The only fault is that I wouldn't be on track to graduate after a certain number of absences. God, what was I going to do when I walked back into her class, what would she say?

Flash-forward to the now. Art went by smoothly today. And by smoothly I mean Ms. Nelson gives a lecture and yells about how much Art is needed in this world, how this class has prepared so many of her past students and how much you have to put in to see the growth. I sat in the back and did nothing. Ms. Nelson doesn't even acknowledge me, in fact she gives me a 0 for everything that I turn in, even if I actually tried. There's not even a point to me showing up to class, because my grades sure aren't proving anything. Today the boy who I'd met on the first day decided to join us. He comes to class at least once a week, all the other times, I'm guessing he simply skips. When he does come, he sits next to me in the corner, kicking his legs up and sleeps the whole class. I always have to be the one to shake his boots to wake him up when the bell rings.

"Oh thanks, Sherlock." He groans and rushes out of class.

"Sherlock?" I whisper to myself. He could at least do for a better nickname.

After having class with Connor, I had officially declared myself as exhausted. He literally talked my head off. The weeks following the first day of school, we've seemed to develop some sort of friendship. By some sort, I mean, he talks my head off the whole class, he gives me the answers whenever I need them and I agree to whatever he says. We walked to lunch together, and the whole time he talked about this concert that he was excited for. I zoned out for a bit until he called for me.

"Elle?"

"Mm." I say and slowly turn my gaze to him. He smiles and messes with his backpack straps.

"I asked you a question." I kindly smile to him.

"Oh I'm sorry Connor, what is it?" He looked down at his dirty white Chuck Taylors.

"I was saying that I had 2 tickets and I asked everyone else if they wanted to go and they said were busy." He started, and when I didn't say anything he just continued on. "I was wondering if you would like to...you know...come with me?" He finally got the courage to look up at me. I gulped and started to fiddle with my fingers. A date? I think my face went pale white, because Connor started to freak out. I didn't really know what to say at this point. Me, go out with Connor, again? "You know, it doesn't have to be a date, I know you still talk to Flynn and all." Wince. I love how he said it in present tense. Not "Talked" but talk. "We can just go as friends." He tried to defend. I look up to him and give him a wry smile.

"Uh…" There was a sudden shift on my right, the side Connor wasn't on. Lee was at my side in a heartbeat and I couldn't help but feel relieved.

"Hey Elle!" He smiled and looked at Connor. "Hey Connor." he said to the brown haired boy with the tongue piercing next to me. Connor just smiled and waved. Lee nudged me.

"So I got your message." He started as we made our way down the hall. "Why can't you go?" I rolled my eyes and pulled out the detention slip for him to read. He handed it back to me in seconds.

"It's my fifth tardy." I say slipping it in my bag. Lee looked at me incredulously.

"You know, if you keep this up, you might be in danger of not graduating." I smile.

"Yeah. Which is something I can't let happen." Lee smiles as we approach the green themed cafeteria. I hadn't realized that Connor was still walking to my left and I felt a little bad for him, so I let him go through the line first. He smiled and reached for a tray, giving me one too in the process.

"Thanks."

"So, it's October…" Lee starts as I shift to the salad bar. Immediately as he spoke the rest of his sentence came to mind.

"Halloween party." I finish for him and we make eye contact.

"Yes!" He said with a smile, his dimples showing a little bit. "And it's going to be the best Halloween party known to man."

"Oh yeah!" I agree and the skinny lunch lady smiled at our little interaction. "Just a romaine salad and cheese." I said to her. "Oh and don't forget the ranch." I watched as she fixed up my salad for me. "So what are we thinking, are we going to go for a theme or just stick with the classic costume party?" The lunch lady places my salad on top of the metal bar. I grab it and nod in thanks.

"How about the classic costume party, but we can also make a haunted house section too." Lee elaborated.

"Okay I can see that. It will be like two parties at once like a mini carnival."

"Exactly." He assented as he side stepped to the entrees. "See I knew that I could believe in my trusted assistant to assist me." I roll my eyes and smile.

"Can I please have the spaghetti?" I ask another lunchlady. She nods and hands me a pretty large plate of spaghetti. Lee turns to me making a pleading face. "I have to it's not only senior yes, but we have to live it up." He walked to the cashier as I follow him.

"Plus all the bad blood is gone between us and we're both happy now." he finishes for me. Happy now since he's gone. He forgot to add. My mood starts to grow sour. I grab a water and pay the cash lady before we walk to tables.

We find Rachel off to the corner, getting questioned by a bunch of girls I never knew. They have told me their names at some point, but I always forget them. I just call them Blondie and Red. But of course not out loud. Lee took a seat next to Rachel and she greeted him with a kiss. She smiled when they broke away and looked between us two.

"Okay, Lee looks too giddy and you Elle look like you are about to pass out of exhaustion." Lee set his bag down and opened his bottle of water.

"Elle and I are going to plan the Halloween party of the century." Rachel raises her eyebrow and teases Lee's shirt.

"Sounds fun, I'll be there."

"I look forward to it." Lee flirts back and I watch as they go into their own little world. They start to whisper to each other and Lee leaned in to kiss her. I Look away and start to mess with my spaghetti. I zoned out again, lost in my fairly good spaghetti and looking around the cafeteria. I found Conner off with some jocks and I felt bad again. I feel like I use him, and he doesn't even see it. He looks my way and waves kindly at me. I wave back. For a second, I even think about going to the concert with him just to give myself something to do, but it seemed like Lee was going to keep me busy for the next 4 days. They pull apart as Lee starts back up conversation.

"So did Elle tell you?" Lee nodded.

"Yup, she's spending a beautiful Saturday here in this jail cell." Rachel informed with a laugh.

"Hey it's not like I planned this you know." I defend. "I would love to go and hang out at the fall fest with you guys." Lee changes the subject.

"So next Saturday, we're going shopping right?" I nod my head.

"Yup. I have nothing else better to do anyway." I counter and bring the fork to my mouth. Suddenly, the table vibrated and I gazed down at my phone from the corner of my eye.

"Ah ha!" Lee called out and I jumped out of my seat.

"What!" I gasped breathless, my eyes full of alarm.

"You did it again!" I shook my head and looked away. Rachel looked at Lee confused, but I knew what he was talking about. For awhile now, he's noticed me be a bit too clingy to my phone. Simply saying, he claims that I check my phone way too much, but I don't think I do. So one night, I dared him to call me out anytime I did it. I had only set myself up for this.

"She says she doesn't check her phone that much." He said pointing a thumb at me. I turn back to them.

"I don't." I claim. Lee laughs to himself and I launch a grape at him. He tilts his head to catch it in his mouth and we three laugh in unison. I had forgot that Blondie and Red were there until Rachel turned to start a conversation with them. I didn't care to meddle so I looked down at my phone to see that message I was receiving. It was from my school app. I had received an F on one of my art pieces.

"Ugh!" I cry out. Lee looks at me.

"What?" I show him my grade on the phone. He folds his lips in. "Oh." I groan and set my phone down.

"And I worked really hard on that expressive piece." I whined. I folded my arms on the table and dropped my head onto them. Lee starts rubbing on my hair.

"It's okay."He comforts. "Just go talk to her." I look up to him and crease my eyebrows.

"Talk to her?" I ask. "Oh yeah. Like she's actually going to give a care about my graduation plans." I sigh and push my food away. I needed to go somewhere to take a breather.

"I'm...gonna go to the bathroom." I tell him. He smiles and looks between me and my phone about 3 times.

"You sure you aren't going to call Noah?" He challenged.

"What no?." I claim, as if that was an insult that he asked. I hadn't talked to him in about 3 months, and I wasn't planning on being the first. We made awkward eye contact along with an awkward silence. I broke it off after seconds passed, and I walked over to the bathroom. After reading over the graffiti in the stalls and unlock it and head to the sink. I get 2 pumps of soap and wash my hands just as another stall opens. Jaime then came up next to me to wash her hands.

"Hey, Elle." She smiled.

"Hey." I say as I shake my hands to dry. It was awkward between us, considering the only thing I talked to them about was him. But now, there isn't a him to talk about. "So...how have you been?" I shrug and reach for the towel dispenser.

"Okay I guess." I reply. "How about you?" I turn the conversation back to her.

"I'm doing great." She fake smiles to me and I smile back.

"Well that's good." Jaime fixes her hair in the mirror and turns to me.

"Yeah." I mess with my lips before I blurt out.

"Lee and I are having a Halloween party, next Saturday." I start. "You should spread the word and come." She nodded her head, looking impressed.

"Totally, I'll be there." Then she laughed and walked out of the bathroom. Since I had gotten back to school, I had this strange sense that people actually cared about me. I don't know how to explain it. It's just that I feel like not only do they care about me, but they want to know me one way or another. Sometime I feel like I'm walking on needles everytime I walk in the halls. I try to ignore the fact that people look at me and I try to act like I don't hear the whispers, but I do. And they all say the same thing.

I heard Flynn dumped her.

I heard that he just stopped talking to her.

I thought she cheated on him.

No he cheated on her, his new girlfriend is SO hot.

He left her behind with all his other ones.

The last one really got me. I hadn't wanted to think of it like that. But I had to say it was true. He told me that I was different. He told me he had changed. He told me he loved me. That had to make me at least a bit more different than all his other girls right? Right? I hadn't noticed the tear pooling at my eye until I looked in the mirror. I swiped it away and tried to fix my red face. On my way out of the restroom, I questioned my sanity. I had told myself that I knew this was going to happen. I had even thought that I prepared myself for this. I prepared myself for him to grow up and leave me behind. It was apart of my deal that I came up with when he left me. I had promised myself that I was okay. And I was.

But I couldn't stop that sinking feeling in my heart, that reminded me that I would eventually have to face him one day.

That's what I wasn't prepared for.

What would I say?

And more importantly, what would he say?


	2. Chapter 2

The bright sun cascaded into my bedroom window. The sun burned into my naked backside and I turned over for it to fry another part of me. Only I had forgot that I had Saturday detention. All because I was late for the 5th time. The whole school tardy system even pissed me off even more. But I'm not going to extend the subject of my thoughts. I threw my pillow over my head and screamed as loud as I could into it before I got up to take a shower. Every part of me was raging over the fact of the situation. I scrubbed myself quickly and walked to my room in my towel and wrapped hair. I looked for the laziest clothes a girl could wear and came up with a pair of joggers and Plain White T's shirt. I tried my best to blow dry my hair but it came out frizzy anyway.

The brush toned it down a little, but not too much. I left the house before anyone could know I had left. I opened my phone to see a text from Lee.

Good luck at detention, don't worry I'll have fun at the fall fest without you ;P. I laughed to myself and turned the keys in the ignition, ready to take Cleo out for a spin. Leave it to Lee to say something funny apart from an angering situation. "Thanks, you're making me feel a lot better already." I text back, hoping he could see the sarcasm dripping from the comment. I was heading up to my assigned room when he texted again.

No problem. I closed my phone just as I was walking into my classroom. The room was my old biology room. Ms. Briarson. I had always hated this room because it was always cold and reeks of something dead. Not even the smell of her vanilla wall scenters could over power that scent. There was a decorated desk full of different types of enzymes and cells in the corner opposite of the entrance. On the opposite wall to the door, stood stacks of biology equipment like microscopes and magnifiers. The back wall opposite of the board was plastered with her "Students Wall of Work.", but it wasn't just paperwork, her famous wall also held the signature of every student that took her class. Science lab partners desk stood in the center of the classroom. I sat as far to the back as I could. I passed a few wondering eyes on my path to the back. I even heard a few whispers.

That's Flynn's girlfriend. I heard a girl whisper to her brunette friend. As if I couldn't hear.

Was. I heard it was over.

I roll my eyes and take a seat to the back. Did people have anything better to do? The classroom wasn't full, there were only about 10 students, each of their eyes trained on me in the back. I sat my bag down and trained my eyes to my phone. I had told myself that when this does happen, I would choose to ignore it and NEVER make any eye contact with anyone. That would let them know that I wasn't giving in. After a while everyone turned back to the front. That gave me enough time to look around the class at the students, but the only person who stood out to me was the sleeping guy from my art and chemistry class. I waited to see if he would acknowledge my presence, to see if he remembered me, but he didn't. I looked back forward just as the teacher made an appearance. The door slammed behind him with a clink, and the blinds shook. He was a husky man that I had not recognized before.

"Good morning. I'm Mr. Edwards, all I ask is that you sit here in silence for 5 hours and we'll be okay." He didn't say much after that. He just walked over to the desk and sat there with his feet up on the desk. He pulled out a book and he never looked back up from it. Well at least I didn't get a strict teacher. Another pro, is that I didn't bring any work but the spiral that I use to doodle. Okay and don't come at me with the, "She's such an indecisive character, because she once said she hated art and now she's drawing." No. It's called doodling and it's what I call a non commitment to art, at least in my perspective. It gives me something to do when I am bored. So no, as I said before, I don't like art. I pulled out my bag as a one of them fell out of it. Shit. I think to myself and I reached for it. However, it were so far away, that if I tried to reach it, I would make a scene by falling out of my chair. As I was getting out of my seat to get them, the calm blue color appeared in front of me. I started at his black boots for a while before I looked at him. "Thanks." I utter quietly. He didn't say anything. He just nodded. I watched him from behind as he took his seat on the right diagonal to mine. I turned back to my pens and started on drawing whatever came to my mind. I wasn't good at it, but I liked the feeling of my mind connecting on paper. I look up to him, a question popping into my head.

"So what'd you do to get in here?" I ask. "Rile up the cheer quad a bit?" I joke. He sighs exasperated.

"No." He says toneless. "Skipping." I gasp, my face full of a front.

"Wow, what a surprise." I say sarcastically.

"What about you miss goody goody." I squinch my eyes.

"What qualifies me to be a goody goody?" He looked at me like I was clueless.

"Come on, do I really need to explain myself?" I scoff and look down at my papers. What a dick.

"You know? Sherlock is such a bad nickname." I switch the subject. "I mean if you're going to mock me...at least do it right." He looks back at me a smirks.

"Well then smarty, what can you make up that's "right" for me?" He does air quotes. I gaze down at his pants and then back up at him.

"Skinny jeans." I gloat. "Or tight ass, or even guyliner would work on you." I joke pointing my pen at him. "I can see it all on you, and it's a good look." I poke out my bottom lip. He looks down and nods his head, taking the shots given.

"Okay, I'll give you that blue." I look down at the blue pen in my hand. The one that fell and he happened to pick up for me. Okay, not bad skinny jeans. I think and smile to myself.

I start back on my fragmented flower. My phone buzzed and I decided to ignore it. It was most likely Lee bragging over his amazing time with Rachel without my presence involved. God, I'm gonna kill that kid the minute I get home. The blond boy shifted to my right and my eyes looked up as a reflex. He slipped his grey jacket over his light blue t-shirt and put his feet on the desk. I wondered how many times any of these kids had been in detention. There were giggles to my left and I watched as a couple sat off by the wall together, entranced in some rom-com.

"I've been here about 7 times." Skinny jeans said next to me and I shot my head up. I lean back in my chair.

"Okay how did you know that I was thinking that?" He shrugged.

"Believe it or not, I'm really good at reading people." he confessed.

"Yeah, good at reading people to find a way out of trouble." I mutter, but he hears me.

"That." He starts, running a hand threw his hair "But it becomes sort of a hobby after a while." He turns his body to me. "People are easy to read, you just have to put yourself in their shoes." I open my mouth to talk about how it was creepy that he was to be staring at me while I was unbeknown to it happening, but I was interrupted. My phone buzzed again and exhaled and answered it. Okay, Lee must really want to make me feel bad today. I couldn't stop myself from sucking in a breath. Not because of what Lee texted. It was actually quite funny, just a few pics of him and Rach out at the park with some fall leaves behind them. I sucked in a breath the minute I saw his name. It wasn't a text, but some email that I got from Harvard about him. He was joining the honors program and there was an assembly for it in 2 weeks. My hands felt frozen. My heart pounded and my lips went numb. He must had put me on the notification list when we were actually still talking.

"Well at least you're doing good for yourself." I mumbled.

"What?" A voice asked. I shook back to reality to meet the blond boy's blue eyes.

"Oh...I didn't say anything." I explain. My hands still wouldn't release my phone. They were clamped on there.

"Uh, yeah weirdo...you did." He insisted. I give a flabbergasted look, eager for him to get off my case.

"I did not." I justified. The boy just laughed to himself. It was a airy and nasally one.

"Okay. And you wonder why I'm creepy?" he mumbles to himself. A small part of my brain once again wants to question how he knows that I thought he was creepy, but I had other matters to worry about. I focus on my phone. I closed my eyes and gained the support to put my phone down. I wondered just how Lee's family thought about it, they were most likely excited that he was moving his way up in the school. Anyone that cared for him should be excited for him. And I was, but yet, it was just another reminder that he was 2,979 miles away from me. It had been so long since I had seen that name pop up on my phone, it almost felt foreign. I was as if the roles had shifted and he was no longer my complicated "boyfriend" but Lee's older brother. "Okay, I'm sorry to but in or anything in your little episode, but you look like you've seen a ghost." The boy said to me. I hadn't even realized that I looked this pale. I gazed down at a mirror in my bag and I put it away.

"I-I-I feel like I just heard from one." I confessed and swallowed. "Well not actually heard from them." I stop short and shake my head, my frizzy hair, falling in my face. The guy looked at me the same way he had been before and he frowned. I look up to him. "What?" I ask. "I know I'm not looking my best right now but-"

"No. I just can't read you, right now." he admitted. I frowned back at him.

"Why are you trying to read me?" I cross my hands on the table. "Not everyone likes that sort of thing you know."

"Because that's what I do." I roll my eyes.

"So your talking, vampire Edward type?" I urge him on, trying to pull away from the topic on my conscious. He did that nasally laugh again.

"No, I don't read minds." he said. "As much as I would love to." He intertwined his fingers. "No, I mean it as through body language. It's kind of like a guessing game." He met my eyes. I made an upside down "u" and nodded, as a way to say "okay I guess that's not, that creepy" I mean I've seen worse.

"So then, Mr. Fortune Teller, how much can you read off me?" I test him. He does a small grin, and I notice his smile lines.

"Well, I'm thinking...you just received a text from someone you least expected, and it's bothering you." I pull back and look down at my phone, as if that could give any explanation. "Am I right?"

'It wasn't a text, but an email from an outer source...but yes, you were." I confess. "And you're really starting to creep me out now." I say, but I don't go back to my drawing, instead I look back up at him. "How did you know it?" He made a studious expression, as if he was a professor and he had a lesson to teach. "Oh you know…" His next words came out in a fast ramble. "You just look like you're confused in how much you love someone." I slowly lean in, eager to grasp his words. "Since, I know that you are dating Flynn, I can only guess the emotions surround him." I gasped.

"You can actually sound smart!" I joke.

"When have I never?" I look up to the ceiling in thought.

"I don't know, how about the fact that every interaction I have with you, you are either skipping, or sleeping."

"Or in detention." He says, pointing his finger to the teacher, whose nose was still crammed in a book. I smile and start back up on my drawing. My fingers traced along the flower as I added another layer to it, it blossoming in front of my eyes. "Long-distance, huh?" he said in a way of starting another conversation. I looked up to see this expression in his eyes. I wondered why he made that sort of face, why he looked so troubled all of a sudden. He answered for me, doing the weird reading people thing. "My girlfriend and I have the same problem." He looked up and smiled. "She goes to MIT though, Not Harvard." he joked with air quotes. I nod.

"MIT is a really good school though too." he nodded and turned to pick up his pencil.

"Yeah, she's too smart for me." he said. I looked in his eyes as he spinned his pencil on his thumb. It was the glisten in his eyes that reminded me of Noah. The way he talked about anything he loved. The way he looked at me. It was the look of love. I wondered how long it had been since my eyes blazed like that. I smiled at the blond boy.

"Tell me about it." I confessed and lost myself in my thoughts centering around Lee's older brother, I wondered what was in store for us. I also wondered what he was doing at this exact moment. I closed my eyes and smiled. Whatever his reasons were, I was so happy to see his message pop up. At least he still wanted to that. And at this point, I didn't even care about what was to come after.


	3. Chapter 3

A week had passed and it was now Saturday, October 31, the day of the most legendary party known to man. Lee and I began our Halloween party decoration adventure at Party City. He was caught up in the costume section, checking to see if the costumes that he ordered were in. He never told me what he decided to order, he just asked me to trust that he will choose the best option for the both of us. We'd been talking about coming up with the best set of costumes to top Batman and Robin the past month, I'm just hoping he pulled through. But Lee was my other half, so I can say that whatever he chooses, I'll like it just as much. While he did that, I was looking for some Halloween decorations. You'd think that halloween decorations in a party store would have more variance, but it was just about all the same things on each aisle. I complained silently to myself as I raked through the aisles. I stopped when I came onto the aisle for plates and cups. I threw some plate decorations into the kart and even some cups. They were black with cute little halloween pumpkins on them. Not that people would actually care about what the cup designs look, they only care about the contents inside the of the cup. I dropped about fifty packages of cups into the cart. I pushed my cart around to the wall hanging decorations, looking for something nice to hang on Lee's wall. I added some cheesy spiders and even some stick on pumpkins. Lee came bounding around the corner with costumes in his hand.

"There you are, I've been looking for you!" He exclaimed. I smiled and threw another spider web into the cart.

"Oh have you?" I questioned with a smile.

"Yes duh." He makes his way toward me. "Okay, so this year we had to top Batman and Robin." I laugh and throw another Halloween wall decoration set into the cart.

"Yes…" I trail off. "I'm guessing you have the ultimate topping idea for our last high school halloween party." I joke, placing my palms onto the grey cart.

"Oh you know." I joke. He throws me a costume package. I looked up at him with a scoff.

"Mermaid man and Barnacle boy?" I gasp. Lee laughs and holds his up.

"Why not?" He laughs out loud throwing his head back. "It's perfect for us. My car can be the invisible boat mobile.

"Is this even my size?" I ask, holding the package up to him.

"Yes, when is ever not, I even got the bust a bit wider than usual." I gasp and throw a cup package from my cart at him. He dodges it and we laugh together again. We decided that I would be mermaid man and since he was taller than me, he would be barnacle boy. The rest of the shopping consisted of basically buying the whole Halloween section at Party city and we stopped by some other Halloween store to get some extras. By the time we had gotten to the register at each place, the lady always looked very concerned for our well beings and our wallets, but Lee's parents had it covered. They were practically rolling in money that they would just love to spend. Getting the items in my car, now that was a problem. We picked Cleo because it had more availability for all our items, but even then, we still had to force the decorations into my trunk. I watched as Lee wedged the fog machine in the back of my trunk. It was then when I asked,

"Do you think that we got too much?" Lee groaned in pain.

"Huh?" He gave one last shove and the car creaked as the machine gave in and sat awkwardly at the trunk, his hands on his hip.

"I asked if that's a little too much." I repeat, pointing to all of our salvages in the car. He shook his head and waved his hand as if he was saying "fogetabout it".

"Nah…" He trailed off and we slowly looked to each other. In our minds we were both saying the same thing. We got too much. Lee looked back at the trunk and then at me. "Do you think we got too much?" He turns the question platform back to me. I slowly shake my head and curl my lips.

"No…" I start, defensively. "In fact, we got too little?" I end, my voice getting higher as I asked I turned the statement into a question at the end.

"Yeah." Lee says a bit unsure. "Yeah totally." He says to reassure himself. He closes the trunk. "Pizza place?" I nod and I take the wheel.

At Pizza Palace, we made an order for 40 large pizzas, all different flavors that I wouldn't recognize. We expected a big turn out on this one. We told just about everyone and we know that the "everyone" that we talked to, will tell just about "everyone else". Then we stopped by my place to get my things and makeup, since I didn't feel like running back and forth between our houses. When we got back to his place it was about 2 o'clock, which gave us 4 hours to get decorations and accomodations ready. Lee walked upstairs to get some tape from his room while I stayed downstairs and positioned the cups outside. It was a cool rule that he and Lee came up with that I liked, you know, to keep people from damaging the inside of the house too much. I laid the orange and black striped tablecloth down and taped it down whenever Lee came back. He assisted by cleaning out the pool and dumping some chlorine to make the pool bluer. Even though I don't think that that was really a thing, but I just went with it. Personally I didn't see the point in cleaning the pool because it was the fall, no one should be planning to be swimming in anybody's pool. My guess was that Lee really didn't want to do too much of the decorations part of the party making. He finalized my theory when he walked over to the corner of the tree, his phone pinned to his ear. I roll my eyes and walk inside to work on the wall decorations. Leave it to Lee to slack off a bit on things. I decorated all of the bottom floor and even some of the upstairs area, though I don't believe anyone would be up here anyway. I was coming down the steps when Lee came to meet me.

"So…" He said looking around the room. "What do you need help with?" I walk past him.

"I need to find a way to surgically separate a phone from someone's ear." I turn back to him, bringing a finger to my chin. "Do you think that you can help me with that?" Lee laughed to himself.

"Yeah, maybe I can." He jokes and I reach for his phone. He staggers back and starts to run around the house. It was times like these that I cherished with Lee. We always did childish things, even as a senior, and I loved that about us. I loved that we were able to kid around some days, but I also loved that no matter what, he was always there for me. We finished getting all the decorations down, and by "we" I mean mainly me, at around 4 which is when June walked out with some refreshments and snacks. By that time, I was lounging on the longue chair next to the pool. I raised my white shirt up a bit to expose my stomach while Lee was messing around with his feet in the pool. She sat them down next to me, since I was sunbathing, the sun was out and it felt like summer for a second.

"Hey guys!" She greeted. "I figured you guys were hungry after all that hard work. It looks good!" I laughed, throwing an arm across my face.

"Yeah, Lee talking to Rachel the whole time was such hard work." I confess with an exasperated tone. June put her hands on her hips.

"Lee Flynn! How could you just let poor little Elle do all the work?" She said this in her lecturing tone.

"Mom, I didn't talk to her the whole time, just a little bit of the time." He turned himself in. I peaked my face out from the corner of my elbow and made eye contact with Lee. He looked shocked at me, but I simply poked my tongue out at him.

"I cannot believe you Lee." June whispered to herself walking into the kitchen. "And your room better be cleaned if you plan to have this party mister!" she called back to him before shutting the glass door. Lee eyes shifted to me, his mouth still gaped open, a wicked expression playing on his face.

"Oh you are SO going to pay for that!" He called out to me as he ran towards me. I giggled and scurried off the lounge chair. He was too fast though, he grabbed me and threw me down into the cold pool water.

"Lee!" I screamed just before my body came into contact with the pool water. I touched the bottom of the pool floor before I came back up. I gasped for air and began to shudder, the air might feel warm, but this water was not. It was teeth chattering, like you would expect a pool to be in the fall. "What the heck Lee." I cried out to him. I groaned and watched as Lee doubled over laughing. "It's not funny! Now my hair is going to be really frizzy tonight." I peddled over to the stairs and stepped out.

"Well, now I can clean my room, while you fix your hair." I hiss to myself as I step out of the pool. My body came in contact with the air and it was cool to me. My leggings and white shirt stuck to me. Lucky for me, I wore a neon green bra, because I'm just that smart.

"Lee." I called out to him coldly and before I knew it, I was chasing Lee around the pool. When I got close enough to him, I jumped on his back, causing him to fall sideways into the pool, myself included. I waded the water as he came back up for air, but with a snicker I pushed him back down and swam for the stairs again. I stepped out drenched and reached for a towel off of the pool towel rack. Lee laughed and grabbed for my towel once I dried enough of myself off. "God you suck." I whisper to him and shove at him before I walked over to where June laid out the snacks and grabbed for the bowl of pretzels, any food from her, is a blessing. Chewing on a pretzel, I make my way past Lee and into the house. June turned back around in the kitchen and a shrill yelp escaped her lips.

"Oh my goodness Elle." She said, holding a hand to her chest, clearly wanting to laugh. I'm pretty sure she was laughing because I thought that wearing eyeliner this morning would be a good idea. I probably looked like a racoon at this point.

"I know." I mutter and headed up the stairs. I didn't wait for Lee to come up, I just decided to start the shower and at least try to get the chlorine off me. Although I was drenched in pool water, the water pressure coming out of Lee's waterhead was ravishing. It was like a miny massage. I stood there, letting the warm water race over my head, the water thumbing a rhythm on my upper back. My hands started to grow pruny so I turned the nozzle and dried myself off. I ran a hand over the mirror to get a glimpse of myself. The shower water washed at least some of my makeup away, but I had to wash my face to get the rest of my eyeliner off. When I came back up from the sink, I didn't look like so much of a racoon anymore, I just looked like a dried prune. I walked out the bathroom to see Lee with his hair already damp nibbling on a pretzel from the bowl I brought up. He must've used the bathroom down the hall. I walked up to him and tightened my towel around me. He was looking through his dresser.

"I asked mom to wash your underwear and stuff." he said grabbing a pair of underwear from his dresser. "Your costume is over there." He pointed on his bed. He went to his bathroom to change into his costume, so I took the time to do the same. It was hard to get the skirt on because I was still a bit sticky from just drying off, but it was through hard effort, that I got the full costume on. Although it was weird to admit, I did so without underwear, just because drying them took so long to do. Yes I was going commando to a halloween party, but it was okay, the skirt had built in underwear. I looked at myself through Lee's long mirror and the skirt reminded me of the Robin skirt that I wore last time. The dark green skirt had a slit on my right leg and it when all the way up to my hip bone. Good thing that it came with fish nets, or the world might have been seeing more than what they were bargaining for. I couldn't stop myself from laughing as I attached the pink seashells over my tight orange long sleeve. My letter "M" belt closed with a clink as Lee stepped out of the bathroom. He looked so funny. I couldn't stop myself from laughing. He had on a tucked red shirt and what looked like black skinny jeans and black boots. He frowned at me.

"What?" He asked, starting to laugh himself.

"Nothing." I confess. "Nothing." Covering my mouth as I watched Lee cross the bedroom, his leggings making a noise with each step he took. "Lee?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's your hair dryer?" He collapsed on his bed and pointed to the bathroom.

"In there." He stated. I reached into my bag and pulled out my brush, to tame my hair. I cried out everytime the bristles came into contact with a knot, which happened to be multiple times. When I pulled my brush away from my hair, it was full of strands and tangles. Then I went to get the hair dryer and dried my hair as best as I could. By the time I was done, my hair looked like a frizzy ball of mess.

"Braid it is." I tell myself and separate my hair. Lee pulled on his gloves as I wrapped around my rubber band one last time. I put on my gloves and turn to him. He was back to laying on the bed, one arm over his head. I laugh to myself and walk over to him.

"Oh come on, you look good." I comfort. "Heck the real Barnacle boy couldn't look as hot as you do right now." He cracks a smile.

"As do you Mermaid man." I do a spin.

"I do don't I, I just need those pink slippers." I say breathlessly and we both start to laugh. "I'll go and get the camera from downstairs." I say just as his phone rings. He nods, sitting up to answer it. I came bounding down the stairs running to fetch the camera from the end table. I step back into the room in the middle of his conversation. I expected it to be Rachel, but it wasn't. His back was turned to me, and something about his posture didn't seem relaxed.

"Yeah, she just went downstairs to go and get something." He spoke into the phone. "She's fine." He paused to hear what the other person was saying on the other line. "Yeah okay, bye." Then he hung up the phone and threw it on his bed.

"Who was that?" I asked, causing Lee to jump.

"Geez Elle." He breathed, holding his heart. He looked to his phone and then me. "Uh." He started. "It was just Noah." He tried to lower his tone, to make it seem like Noah was just no one. But he was. He was Lee Flynn's brother. " He was asking why mom wasn't answering the phone." I could so tell that Lee was lying. Well about the reason why Noah called, but I chose to let it go. I nod and walked over to the mirror. I watched the girl in the reflection make a face, it was one I couldn't decipher if it was a good one or a bad one. I knew that he still called his family, it was his family. However, I still couldn't shake that question that echoed in my head. Why won't he call me then? It was good to know that he was alive at least, and it was good to know that his phone worked Lee tried to ease the tension by making a joke, I laughed at it of course, but I still couldn't stop thinking about his reasoning behind this. It was like reality was staring at me face to face, showing me the real truth. I spent the whole start of school, unable to tell myself the truth. I used multiple excuses like he was just busy or that his phone to get me by, even though I know that those were so very silly reasons. But the truth was he wasn't and his phone actually did work, and deep down I knew that. But my heart didn't.

Lee and I took some pictures around his house and all around the decorations, his mom helping us with our little photoshoot. She had changed out of her casual wear and was now in a gown. She and Mr. Flynn are going to a halloween masquerade ball tonight and perfect timing too. That, or we wouldn't have been able to host this party.

"Oh you two look so cute." She awed as she took us a picture by the pool. Lee groaned.

"Mom, cute?" He cried out. I laughed at the sense of his manhood descending.

"Yes, Lee, you especially look very cute." I giggled. June handed me the camera and dusted her pale white gown off.

"Okay, well we're going to head out, the minute I get your father out of his office." She added. "Gosh, that man." But that was more entirely for herself. She pointed a finger at Lee, the words slowly coming to her brain.

"Oh and Lee, why didn't you tell me that Noah called you? I've been waiting for him to call me today." I could feel Lee stiffen next to me and swallow just as his name sent me crashing down all over again. I battled with mythological waves, my eyes trailing to the floor. Just another reminder that once again his phone does work. I tell myself. June paused, questioning our sudden demeanor change. She shifted as she had her lightbulb moment.

"Oh my gosh, Elle, I'm so sorry." She began. "I should have thought about my words a little better before I said them." She apologized. "I know that you and No-" I raise my hand up and shake my head.

"No. Don't worry about it June, it's okay." I say and force a laugh. Lee rubbed his hand on my back. June purses her lips, clearly feeling all of the awkwardness and tension bearing down on her. There was an awkward silence between us three until Mr. Flynn broke the silence.

"June are you ready to go?" He peaked out with his suit and tie. June was in a small daze. "June." He called out to her again and she shook her head to bring her back to actuality. She looked back at him and smiled.

"Yes!" she exclaimed and then she clasped her hands. "Well then, I think that's my cue to leave." She smiled and turned away, not forgetting to add. "And please don't get into any trouble. That includes alcohol." Lee and I both smile at the same time. The innocent one that kids do when they are about to do the exact opposite.

"We won't." We both said in unison. A famous quote came to mind as I watched June walk out the front door.

"Alcohol is not the root of the party, the presence of youth talking about feelings and eating finer foods is what is most important."

Said no one

Ever


	4. Chapter 4

Okay 3 things before you read the rest of this chapter.

1) I'm sorry for making you read all this :')

2) You May notice a bit of a change and realize you may have already read this scene before. And you did. I had read back through the story and noticed some major plot holes so I went and added a few things prior to this chapter. Like a whole new chapter. :P. So if you read Chapters 1-3 before the date 06/08/18, it is best that you start from the beginning again and briefly read to see if catch any new add ons. If your reading after this date, caring on and ignore whatever I just said.

3) Chapter 2 is a whole new chapter that took place as a way for you to understand the relationship between Skinny Jeans and Elle, because before, he was just some random character. And maybe after reading it you'll still think he's random. But I'm warning you.*

You May choose to move on at your own risk*

ENJOY!!!

The halloween party started just as Mr. and Mrs. Flynn left the driveway. It took about 3 minutes after they left for the first car to role in. It was Candice, she was dressed as a black cat this year, her fluffy tail swaying as she walked inside the house. A chest full of alcohol followed behind her.

"I come bearing gifts." She cried out with a smile and Lee pointed to the backyard in which the drinks were being set up.

"Great." He called back to her.

I was now sandwiched in between some two boys, I threw my head back and drank a bottle of beer. One was dressed as Batman and the other was Superman. They were playing a video game that looked a little too boring for my taste. I sat and questioned how and why I got to this position. But I couldn't come up with anything. I sigh and hopped up from my seat.

"You going Elle?" A boy asked with my back to him. I whirl around and smile. I had never seen the Superman guy before tonight, yet he acted like I we had the start of a conversation starting. Did I say something to him while I was here. I held up my bottle of beer and questioned just how many I had.

"Yeah." I state tipping my bottle over, showing it was empty. "Going to get another." I didn't want for him to respond, instead I just awkwardly walked outside to one of the many chests holding alcohol. I find Lee over in a corner talking with Rachel, same as it was for literally every party since last year. There was a movement on my back right.

"Where's your better half?" A familiar voice asked me from behind. I whip around to see Skinny jeans.

"Oh hey, mister introvert came out to socialize today." I mock grabbing a beer from the chest. I double back to get a good look at him. "Oh wait don't tell me, your going for a goth character aren't you?" I say putting a hand over my mouth as if I was shocked. He nodded his head, taking my shots.

"Yeah, you're so good at this game." he said. I laughed and closed the chest.

"Yeah I know." I chide in with a smile. Then I remembered what he had asked me before. "By the way he's over there with his girlfriend." I say finally answering his first question. I pointed over towards their direction. Guyliner nodded.

"I see now." He turned to me. "So Blue, you're into beer I see." I look at the contents of my drink and shrug.

"So Skinny jeans, I see that your hobbies don't only surround skipping and dozing off in class."

"Whether you'd like to believe it or not, I do have a social life." I open my mouth and gasp playfully.

"Oh yeah, I've heard that you're always the life of the party." I say sarcastically. The beer in my hands started to freeze off my fingers. Not a very good feeling to have.

"I used to be." He took a sip of his drink. "Back at my old school." I roll my eyes and grab the bottle opener next to me.

"I like how you're expecting me to ask more about your school life, like I'm actually interested." I say before taking a swig of my drink. He grinned.

"And I like how you're so self centered that you'd actually think I'd waste my breath explaining something of mine to you." I bring my drink down and point at him.

"Too shay. Too shay." I admit just as he finished his drink and threw it on the floor. I look to him and the cup.

"You do realize that both Lee and I will have to clean that up, you know, after you throw up all over the lawn and leave." I fold my arms. He grinned.

"There." He said. "The key word is 'Lee and I'." I scoff and shake my head.

"Asshole." I mutter, walking away from him and back inside. I walked over to the foosball table and watched as Olivia and Dana played. They looked clearly drunk and it wasn't even 2 hours into the party.

"No, don't hit the plastic people, hit the ball." Olivia whispered to Dana in a sluggish tone.

"Like I haven't heard that one before." Dana whispered back, like they were talking about something illegal. They broke into a laugh and for the first time I heard Dana's drunk laugh. It wasn't good, it's that one laugh that you always hear at a cantina when you can totally tell that they're wasted. You know, the high pitched stereotypical, Lion King, hyena one.

"New nickname for me?" I look over my shoulder.

"Oh you're still here?" I mock again. "And yes, asshole." I emphasize. "It's something new for you and I think it really matches your personality." I say taking a swig from the bottle again. Guyliners eyes shifted from me to the foosball table. I figured since I was feeling a little buzzed and you know my best friend wasn't around, I'd try to make conversation. "So what made you decide to come to the party?" He shrugged and put a pocket in his jeans.

"I don't know, it's a Friday night, and I thought I'd do my best to come out." I smile and shake my head.

"Well congratulations and welcome to Lee's enormous home." I throw my hands open. He looks around. My attention shifts as I watch Dana and Olivia conclude their little game. She shift past me, Olivia, a white cat to Candice's Black cat, purred next to me.

"He's cute." she whispered in my ear. I raise my eyebrow, really Olivia?

"Yeah, it's really big." He admits. He looks back at me, taking in my costume.

"So am I supposed to know what you're dressed as?" I twirled in my pink slippers. Leaning in, waiting for him to know what I was. I crease my eyebrows.

"Have you never seen SpongeBob?" I asked, questioning how much of a childhood he had.

"No, can't say that I have." I gasped and grabbed onto the foosball table exaggeratingly.

"I...am...shocked." I say. "...And slightly hurt." That causes Skinny jeans to laugh. And then I realize I don't even know his name. I slide around the table and place my beer on the side lining. "Up for a quick round of ass kick?" I challenged. He looked at his watch and then at me.

"I'll have to make the ass kicking faster than usual, but if you insist…" He trails off grabbing onto a nozzle. I shove one in and it nearly hits him in his groin. He dodges and throws the ball into the field.

"Ooo so close, but no cigar."

"I don't smoke though." I say laughing, the joke not sinking in. The liquid fluids were really starting to kick in.

"Just focus your attention to the game Blue."

We play about 4 rounds before I give up. Skinny jeans beat me all 4 times and I couldn't do much but take it. I could tell that he felt so manly at that moment. He might as well have poked out his chest and flexed his muscles wherever we walked. I stopped by the kitchen counter to grab some Doritos when I heard his voice behind me.

"Yeah."

"You're from Brownsville aren't you." It was a female's voice that responded. The voice was recognizable, because it was Jaime's.

"Yeah."

"I knew a lot of guys from Brownville, I used to work at a shoe store, and god their feet were always so big." I could picture the conversation. Jaime leaning in closer to him, eager to get him to bed.

"Yeah. I heard that too." Skinny jeans flirted back. I groaned at how awkward this felt, it was like listening to your parents talking dirty to each other, I gagged in my mouth.

"So, what size are you?" Skinny jeans shakingly laughed.

"If I told you, then it would be no secret would it." he said in a pacifistic tone.

"Okay then, how about we go upstairs and you can show it to me." She whispered, I'm guessing into his ear. Suddenly, a funny thought came to mind and I whirled around to look at them. I was right after all, Skinny jeans was leaning on the island while Jaime curled herself around him. His hands were wrapped around her waist and she held a hand on his chest. They shifted their gaze at me at the same time. Immediately I started to frown.

"What the hell jerk!" I shout out at him. He raised his brow, wondering where I was going with this. "You told me that I would be your first!" Skinny jeans eyes widened and his face went pale. I didn't think that Jaime would by it, by the looks of him, but she pulled back.

"A virgin?" She cried out and unwrapped his hands. "You're hot and all, but I'm not looking to take care of a lost dog afterwards." She said, her tone thick of repulse and she walked off, shaking her hands in disgust. Skinny jeans turned to me and gaped his mouth open.

"Wow, and she was hot too." He muttered. I smiled and handed him a cup full of doritos.

"It's okay, she's had her fair share of chlamydia cases." He hesitated, still lost in shock before he took them

"Well so have I." He said grabbing a chip.

"Okay, I'm just going to pretend that you didn't say that, because I was actually really starting to find respect of you." He laughed.

"I'm so not going to come back from this." I laugh, throwing my head back.

"Yeah, you probably aren't."

We were now in the backyard, starting at square one of where we first started talking. Nah I'm just kidding, there was no purpose, I just wanted another beer. I reached into the chest to grab him one.

"This." I insinuate, handing the beer to him. "Is for the handed victory." He raises his brow.

"A handed victory." He staggered back like a dagger was in his heart. "You suk at foosball, there was nothing handed about it." He used the bottle opener to open up my beer. "And this." he pauses. "Is for your little theatrical stunt back there, costing me the chance of sleeping with just about anybody at this school."

"Yeah. I'm good aren't I." I compliment myself and take another swig of beer. I lost count so I'm thinking that I'm almost to my double digits, everything was started to get really funny. Skinny jeans included.

"Hey Elle." Lee says coming from behind me. I fall into him and mess his hair up.

"Hey you!" I tease. He looks between me and Skinny jeans and I could see the confusion going through his mind. I can see just how this looked to him. I mean, I haven't gotten out of my relationship officially and it totally looked like I was flirting with another guy.

"This is Skinny jeans." I introduce him to Lee. "Skinny jeans, this is Lee." Skinny jeans shifted his weight on the grass. Lee looked to me, his eyes reading What are you doing with him? I brush them off and look to Guyliner.

"You're Noah's brother aren't you?" he asked. Lee nodded.

"Yeah, and Noah's Elle's boyfriend." I jump out of my skin and look to Lee.

"Lee." I whisper. "What the heck?" Lee makes a face that clearly shows that nothing I say will make a difference. I felt different vibes coming off of Lee and I knew that he didn't like Guyliner. He looked like the kind of guy I would never date or less even talk to. He wore black jeans with things hanging around his belt and he had over 4 thick bracelets on each hand. He looked so different from Noah, but then it was the little things that he did or said that reminded me of Noah.

"I know. I've actually had a conversation with her that doesn't involve me asking if I can get into her pants." Guyliner said defensively. I could feel the cold bite at the end of his sentence.

"Okay. So not only are you an asshole, but you're a dick too." Lee snapped back.

"Lee, Guyliner here has a girlfriend out in MIT." I say defending his case. I touch his shoulder. "Lee, I'm okay, we're just friends." I say without hesitation. He looked to Rachel and then me, wondering just who he should go to.

"Are you sure this is not because of him calling earlier today?" I told him no and sent him off, but I couldn't help but wonder. Was it? No, skinny jeans was SO not my type, he's just kind of like a fluffer, never have I had the urge to do anything but tease and gripe at him. Nothing more. There was an award pause between us and he leaned back on his heels, one hand in his pocket.

"Uh, I think I'm going to head out." He says after we stood looking at the floor for what seemed like centuries.

"M'Kay bye." I call back to him and reach for another bottle. He turns back around to grab my hand. I jump at his touch, it felt so alarming. It was like he had been wearing socks and slide all across the floor just to touch me. Static. I couldn't think when he did it. It reminded me of…

NO. I will not think of him or this.

"Watch the alcohol intake." He warned. "Okay Blue?" His words came out a bit softer than they had been for Lee. My words got stuck in my throat and I nodded slowly. I couldn't stop looking at his hand wrapped over the one that is reaching into the ice chest. He followed my line of sight and pulled his hand away slowly. Not saying anything more as he left. I watched as he slipped out the door. Wow. I was so wasted at this point. For some reason, it felt like meeting him all over again. The way he had the power to cloud my mind like this. Maybe Lee was right after all. Maybe I was acting out simply because I yearned for an explanation from him. I pulled my now numb hand from out the chest and shut it.

The next morning I woke up next to the toilet. I had dried tears sticking to my face. For a second, I wonder why I do this to myself. Then my stomach decides to butt in and I throwing up my organs. I grasp onto the seat and cry silently to myself. It always went like this. I wake up and I cry saying I will never do it again. But I go out and drink again at another party. At least it wasn't hard alcohol. My dad peaped his head in from the open doorway.

"Hey there kiddo." He greeted me sympathetically. "I heard you come in last night." I raise my head to look at him.

"Hey dad." I croak weakly. He sauntered over to me with a glass of cool water.

"I've been waiting for you to wake up, I've been needing to take a shower." He joked. I tried to laugh, but my stomach felt like it was going to make me retch again, so I stopped. "Partied a little too hard?" I bob my head up and down and hold my stomach.

"Yeah…" I trail off taking a tiny sip of water. "I think I'm gonna die dad." I cry out, looking up to the ceiling. My dad laughed to himself and started to the exit.

"Yeah, yeah, you tell me that everytime kiddo." was the last thing he said before he left me there. I groaned and laid my head back onto the cool seat. It was strangely calming. I threw up at least 2 more times, and dry heaved before I got up to take a shower and clean myself up. I still felt like I was going to die even as I walked out to my room in my towel. I close the door behind me and look in my closet for something to wear. I found my legendary joggers, the ones I wear on occasions like this, and my paint stained large green shirt. I collapse on my bed and search for my phone, reading the many messages from Lee. Turns out I knocked out on his bed, and he had to drive me home after the party ended. I pressed the call button and he picked up on the second ring.

"Elle?"

"Yes, the dead and instable." I finished for him. He laughed.

"How you feeling?" He asked me and I sat up on my elbow.

"Like I died." I croaked. "Thanks for driving me back home anyways."

"Any day." He replied. "Even if you throw up on my leather seats. I cringe into my mattress, imagining just how upsetting that would be for Lee.

"I'm sorry." I apologize. "I owe you one."

"Oh I know." Lee claimed. "The mall tomorrow, I'll pick you up for 12." I exhale and fall on my back.

"Okay. Consider it a date then."

"You sound like Rachel." He smiles to himself.

"How are things with you and her anyway." He shifts around before he replies.

"Good. She enjoyed your little show last night." I laughed, wincing as I held my stomach.

"Oh my little throw up scene?"

"That and the party, the way you giggled over everything that guy said." I sucked in a breath as Skinny jeans came back to mind.

"I did not!" I claim.

"Elle, you were drunk last night, and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't remember much of that night." I freeze, bringing the phone closer to my mouth.

"Was I really?"

"Yes. It was the hyena laugh too." I thought back to hearing Dana's laugh, was that actually mine?

"That's so crazy." I start. "It didn't feel that way at the time."

"Yeah because you think you're normal." He paused and a heaved a long sigh. I must have made myself look like I liked Skinny jeans. Maybe that's why he touched my hand like that. Maybe he thought it was okay. My breath started to speed up as I turned every moment that I could remember about that night against me. "Who was he anyway?" Lee's voice snapped me back.

"Oh you know, just some kid I met that was skipping."

"Elle, you skipped!" Lee's tone was thick of disappointment and shock.

"No it was the first day of school, I was going to get a schedule change." My thoughts flicker back to that night. I couldn't remember much, but I could remember him. "I don't know what got into me last night, at one moment I'm grabbing my first beer and another you're telling me that I was flirting with a taken guy." I testified. "I'm such a mess."

"I hate to tell you this…" Lee trailed off. "Take that back, I don't. I told you so!" I laugh into my pillow.

"Oh I bet you just got a kick out of that." I could hear Lee's smile as he replied.

"You know me so well." He stopped smiling at the conversation grew serious. "Elle, just talk to Noah, seriously though." He says smalley, as if that should be the answer to all my problems.

"But Lee it's not like I really need to talk to him. I don't….I don't want him to think that I am trying to…" I can't get my thoughts out fully.

"I know." Lee comforted. "You know, he's getting awarded with-"

"Honor's at Harvard." I finish for him. "I know, I got a message with it just last week. I'm guessing that you guys are going?"

"Yeah, mom and dad are ecstatic. They wanted to know if you wanted to go with us?" I stare hard up at the ceiling above me.

"I'm sorry Lee, but I just cant." I admit. "I don't want to be that girl who makes things confusing for not only herself but everyone around her, but I just can't help it."

"I kinda knew you would say that, that's why I told my mom that you would have to babysit Brad." I smile into the phone sympathetically.

"Thank you." I croak and I laugh a bit. "I just don't know what is up with me anymore. I mean, 5 months ago he had a name, and now, he's just "my best friend Lee's older brother'." I laugh st myself. "God this sounds crazy."

"Elle." Lee says his voice completely even. "It's not. Of all people, I should know where the line of crossing crazy happens, and you ain't nowhere near it." We both laugh at his sudden change of tone to a country accent, then we phase for a moment of silence. At one point I wondered who would break the silence, because a part of me thought it was nice. Usually I hated getting lost in my thoughts, but being here with Lee only made me feel safer and more trusting with my conscious. It was me that broke the silence.

"I knew that it would be hard Lee, I knew that, I also told myself that it was going to be okay, because he was my first love, and I was okay with accepting that things don't always work out like a fairy tale." I add on to my statement.

"It's okay Elle to be hurt by that."

"I know Lee." I say, closing my eyes. "I know, I just want to know why he hasn't just called me to end it."

"That could make things easier." I wondered just how much Lee supported me and his relationship. I also wondered if he relished in the idea of us not being a thing anymore. Could I be wrong? Still he's my best friend, so he must have some interest in making sure I'm happy.

"All I want now Lee, is closure." I conclude all my feelings into a single sentence. I just want to throw it out there so that he and I could finally move on to our own endeavours.

"What will you tell him when he does finally text you about it?" I freeze in place. It's always that question that gets me. I could act balsy and make it seem like I am ready to face the truth and handle my problems. Then when it comes down to them, I freeze, wanting to run away from them.

"I don't know Lee." I breath. "At this rate, maybe I'll have something good to say when I graduate, maybe he'll text me then."

"Maybe."

Lee and I hung up on each other after we talked for about 40 minutes. We rambled on about dumb things and even some intellectual ones. By the time I got off the phone it was 3 o'clock. I made my way downstairs to see dad and Brad watching TV.

"Hey guys, any food for me?" They look back at me.

"Yeah, takeout, from Pandaway." I smile as I grab for my general tso chicken. I sat next to Brad and kicked my feet onto him.

"Hey, Elle, you're feet smell." He cried.

"And yours smell like barf." I snap back, taking a bit of chicken. Dad laughs next to us and he flips the channel.

"Both of your feet make me want to cry, so get over it." Brad giggles and I tickle at him with my feet.

"What do my feet stink now?" Brad shakes his head and squishes himself into the sofa, trying to escape my wrath. I bring my feet closer to his face. "How about now?" Brad giggles some more as my phone vibrates.

Sorry my mom brought up Noah. I pull my feet from Brad and into me. "It's okay Lee, that's your brother and her son, she has every right to bring him up if she wants to."

But I just know how you feel about that subject. He added. Are you sure you're okay? I could tell that Lee was still thinking about the subject of his brother. He tries his best not to bring him up because he knows how I feel about it, so his mother doing the one thing he didn't worried him. In all honesty before just moments ago, we had not talked about Noah and I's relationship since the week after he left. A sense of nostalgia went through me. I started to remember everything that happened between he and I, leading up to leaving him at the airport. There was even a period in which I thought the long distance might work. He called me every night, and we would talk until one of us had fallen asleep. But, just as he got to college, life got in the way between us and daily chats turned into weekly chats. The last time I had heard Noah's voice was 2 weeks ago. And his words to me were, "Can I call you back?". "Yeah. I'm okay. I'm just happy to know that everything is going well for him." I text back and set my phone down to eat more of my chicken. I train my eyes on the football game that my dad and Brad were infatuated with. My phone buzzed again, I groaned, expecting it to be Lee, apologizing again. My phone froze in my hand and I felt the la carte box slip from in between my fingertips. Call it perfect timing or maybe fate, but it had seemed like someone had been listening to me. Whether it was Lee that pushed it or some guardian angel that hopes for my happiness, I couldn't help but take another look at the text message. I heard voices call out to me, most likely my dad, but I was too far gone for me to reply to them. I felt the waves crash over me again. I reach up for air each time, hoping that I would get enough, but the waves send me down underwater again. Sweat pooled on my forehead.

Elle, I know it's been a long while since I talked to you...Can we talk?

No it wasn't Lee.

It was him.

It was...I felt the nerves in my heart building up, giving me the courage to finally say his name aloud.

"Noah."


	5. Chapter 5

Okay 3 things before you read the rest of this chapter.

1) I'm sorry for making you read all this :')

2) I had read back through the story and noticed some major plot holes so I went and added a few things prior to this chapter. Like a whole new chapter. :P. So if you read Chapters 1-3 before the date 06/08/18, it is best that you start from the beginning again and briefly read to see if catch any new add ons. If your reading after this date, caring on and ignore whatever I just said.

"And that's all he said?" Lee questioned for the 4th time after I read the text out to him. Lee and I were in the food court of the mall, Lee's favorite place to be. Today happened to be Sunday which was our normal Evans and Flynn brunch, but Lee's parents had another charity event to go to, so there was a chant of plans. It had been a week after Noah had sent that text, and I still didn't know what to say to him. Lee leaned forward to take a sip of his soda, his elbows on the metal table. We were surrounded by chairs scraping across the floor and constant chatter. But right now, it just felt like an interrogation process. We had been sitting here at the table for an hour and the only topic we talked about, was Noah. SHOCKER.

"Yes Lee." I said exasperatedly. "Maybe if you look at it any longer, he might have more to say." I put my palm to my forehead and sigh. Lee just raised a brow and held my phone in his hand, the notification was still there. I spent the whole rest of my day running back and forth to my phone. Wondering if I should take a nosedive or not. There were theories that had me believe that this was turning to nothing else but a break-up. But as I had said before, I prepared myself. I also said that I wanted closure. So what was keeping me from simply saying 'yes'. Lee shrugged and handed the phone back to me.

"Maybe." he spoke before taking another sip. A sub sandwich sat in front of him. Actually let me clarify that. An empty sub sandwich plate stood in front of him. Mine was untouched excluding my first 3 bites. He pointed to my sub. "Are you gonna eat that Elle?" then he looked up at me. "You don't look too good."

"Of course I don't." I claim, my eyes widen and my hand motions circling around like a maniac. "My complicated relationship is in the 'can we talk phase'. How would you feel if Rachel said that to you?" I set of emotion set across Lee's face, all borderline sadening emotions. I put my face in my hands. My hormones had been raging so badly. I could go from happy to sad in just minutes over this text. Lee reached for my hand.

"Hey, don't forget what I told you," he comforted. "picking up the pieces." he quoted and rubbed my forearm. I nodded and smiled. Leave it to Lee for always being there for me.

"Yeah, I know." I touch his hand. "I'm sorry, this is just really bothering me, and I just don't know what to do." I ramble. Lee takes a sip of his drink.

"Well you know what I would do, you just need to figure out what Elle would do." I place my phone on the table, face down. "Yeah I know, but I feel like you are me, so why is it still hard to decide?" I say and slide my sandwich over to him. "It's all yours buddy." He smiled.

"Yes!" I watched as Lee inhaled my sandwich.

"Lee?" He looked up with a mouthful.

"Huh?" He struggled to get out with sub bread nearly falling out on the table.

"You wouldn't have anything to do with the text would you?" Lee looked down and chewed on his meal. "It's just that it all felt so coincidental, the whole talking to you and then trying to get closure. Don't you think so?"

"Well…" He started off and I could read his guilty expression.

"AHA!" I shout in the middle of the food court. I even stand to point my finger to him. "I KNEW IT!" I exclaimed. "IT WAS JUST TOO COINCIDENTAL!" Lee looked up at me with concern.

"Elle, calm down, your making a scene." He whispered. I looked around to notice that the food court lowered to whispers and I felt all eyes on me. I slowly lower myself back in my seat and awkwardly smile.

"Oh don't mind me, I'm just creatively yelling." I attempt to reply. "I've been doing it for a while." The people around me looked either confused or concerned with my behavior. "Like since I was a kid so…"

"Elle, just stop, it's hurting my eyes to watch." I turn to Lee.

"Oh shut up, you little spy!" I croon back to him. He smiles.

"I'm not a spy." he laughs at the thought. I fold my arms and lean back in my seat.

"Yes, yes you are, you were sent in by your brother to find out how I feel and deliver a message to me." Lee rolled his eyes.

"Elle, don't you think you're taking this a little out of proportion?"

"Out of proportion?" I challenge. "I don't even know if I can trust you anymore, who knows what you've been telling him.

"Rule #2 remember?"

"Yes but I also know Rule #3."

"Elle I didn't lie to you." he smiled. "Look, my brother wanted to know how you were doing, the day that he called me, he asked about you." I nod my head in a 'duh' moment.

"Lee, I knew that from the minute you jumped and did that lip thing that you always do when you lie."

"No I don't." He defends and his outer courser of his lip twitches, as if he was about to smile but didn't.

"Okay Pinocchio." I say agreeing to disagree.

But that's besides the point. The point is that Noah wants to talk to you."

"Yeah but after you told him that I wanted to talk to him." I hold out my hand. "Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"Yes, but that doesn't depry from the fact that you're getting what you want, closure, the final word of say, the chance to change time." I sigh.

"And he couldn't text me before using you as a little spy?"

"No, because he doesn't know how you will react."

"Wow, give a guy a chance to go to Harvard and he gets soft." I scoff and hold up my phone, deleting the message. Lee gasped.

"Elle!" I look up at him with a smile.

"Tell him this spy." I lean into him. "If he wants to talk to me like I do, he needs to stop using a spy to see when the best times to text me are." I lean back. "Or in other words, stop being such a softie. I have a better word for it, but I've chosen to to say it, he'll get the point." I stand from my seat and start heading away from the table. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom." I jabbed him on the head and started towards the restroom.

"Okay...so how are we going to top the Kissing Booth?" Lee asked as I went through a rack of clothes. We'd gotten over the whole Foot Court thing and he decided that with rule #4 he was going to let it go and trust me. I was looking for something just for convenience now. I shrugged and bit my lip.

"That is a good question." I said with a smile. "But I mean that's six months away." I finished and pulled out this black formal dress. I turned it to him.

"When would I ever wear this?" He brought a finger to his chin. There was a moment of silence before we spoke in unison.

"For a date." We laughed to ourselves and I slipped it back in it's slot.

"Which as of this moment, I don't need." I made a small remark as we walked out of the shop, heading for another. I bumped him on the shoulder. "You mean to tell me you don't want to go to any of these stores?" He shook his head, his brown hair falling into his face.

"Nah." He put his hands in his pockets and looked straight ahead.

"Then why did you pick me up to go?"

"Because I wanted a milkshake." I shove him in the arm.

"You are such a user." I say. "And here I was thinking that you doing this as a way to make me feel better."

"Oh yeah, that too." I roll my eyes as we head to Victoria's Secret. Lee and I have been friends ever since forever, but I couldn't stop wondering why he was the one to want to go in the store and not me. I watched as he raked the walls and racks. Was he buying something for Rachel? Does that mean they've had sex, or are they going to. I followed behind him. Gazing at a few pairs of bras on the way. I picked up a pair of thin underwear and held them out to Lee.

"How are these?"

"What are you going for?"

"Sexy."

"Get them." was all he said and he went back to looking. I nodded and put them in my sheer basket. Lee came back to me with a pair of underwear in his hands. "These would also look good too." I examine the red lace wrapping around the hipline and fading out to sheer.

"Oh yeah." I asent and I added them to the basket. I wondered how many people in this store took one look at us, and thought that we were a couple. The way we act, we could totally pull it off, no brainer. Lee managed to interest himself in some other part of the section while I headed over to the bras. I needed to find one to give me support. My older ones are starting to give away and it was-. My thoughts were cut off by the feeling of my body crashing into something. No. Someone. Karen turned and gasped.

"Oh dear!" She cried out. "I'm sorry." I held my head, in a dramatic way and stepped back.

"Oh no. I'm sorry too." I groan and fix my shirt. Karen looked behind me at Lee, who was rummaging through the lingerie.

"So...you and little Flynn?" I stepped back, coincidence to think about how we are perceived as a couple and up comes Karen to solidify the deal. Little Flynn, is that the best you can do Karen?

"Oh no." I say. "Uh...Lee's just tagging along with me." Karen was nodding with a fake smile. God, I bet she yearned for me to be with Lee, just to create something new to gossip about. She laughed dryly and teased her stack of clothes.

"So that means you're still with Flynn?" I suck in a breath and bit my lips. She read my body language and nodded. "Oh…" She grabbed my arms. "I'm sorry, that was really rude of me to just abruptly ask." Yeah right.

"Don't worry about it." I say with ease. "We still talk." I lied. "It's more...open now" I keep talking. God I need to just keep my mouth shut.

"Open as in, date other people?" She asked again for verification. I tilt my head in thought. Should I have chose another route or kept going down this road.

"I mean…" I chose the latter.

"It's okay, people around school were saying you guys broke up anyway." She pursed her lips in thought. "Is that why you were so close to the new kid at the Halloween Party?" Oh yeah. I forgot she was one of the many guest members. "By the way, he is actually really hot, I might snag him from you." In my head, I was thinking. Yeah Jaime said that, but I don't see it. But instead I said.

"Yeah. He is."

"So are you guys a thing now, you two might as well had made out by the pool or something?" She tilted her head. "So does that mean that Flynn is seeing other girls at Harvard now too?" I open my mouth to say something but I'm at a lost of words, she was asking too many questions. "I mean, you did say that you guys were more open now. Right?" I bit the inside of my lip, wondering what I should say next. I had heard about these kind of things before, I was being approached and lured to make some embarrassing statement, I was getting pretty close to making one when I heard-

"Hey Karen!"

It was Lee's voice that boomed behind me. I huffed a breath of relief, as Karen jumped, her brown curls bouncing.

"Oh hey Lee, didn't even see you there." Liar. He just smiled and tapped me.

"I found the pair that you had been looking for." I turn to him and smile. Thank you! I say with my eyes but I say something different with my mouth.

"Where?" He turned and pointed to where he was.

"Over there, next to the dressing room." I turn back to Karen.

"Well I guess I'll see you later." I imply as Lee pulls me away. She smiles with teeth this time and waves.

"Yeah, on Monday!" She calls back to me before she walks over to some girl in the "teenie weenie committee" section. I lean onto Lee once we clear ourselves of Karen's sights.

"Thanks for that." I said with appreciation. "She just wouldn't stop asking questions."

"Especially about 'the new kid'." He holds with quotes, I laugh and shift my weight.

"Okay Sparky, we get it." I muse and we go back to looking through undergarments.

The more time we spent in here, the more I started to notice Lee act a little edgy. I had finally grown tired of watching him pace between sections, lost in thought.

"Okay. What is going on with you?" He looked down at a g-string. I could read it in his face. "You're buying for Rachel aren't you?" He confirmed this by turning a shade of red. I laugh out loud, doubling over.

"Oh my gosh, never would I have ever thought that I would see this day." I joke. "I mean , you come to watch me buy lingerie all the time, but today, today my friend, you are joining the love train." I make a whistle sound and the classic "choo,choo", and he gets even redder.

"Elle." He tries to hold back even his own smile. I stop teasing him and grow to a more serious expression.

"Okay, okay." I ease. "What are you buying them for?" He opened his mouth to answer but I kept talking. "Have y'all even had sex yet?" By his rigid body language, I could see the answer to that question. He tilted his head and raised his brow. "So she's still waiting?" He started to fiddled with the underwear in the pile as I watched him from the other side of the circle.

"Yeah, I understand her reasoning though." He acknowledged. "We were so close just a week ago, at my house." he stopped short. "The minute I reached for her bra, she told me to slow down. So I did."

"So how is buying her a pair of lingerie going to help?" In my head none of this is matching up. If a girl doesn't want to have sex with and wants to wait, shouldn't the last place you buy her a gift from be a lingerie store?

"Well she told me that and the fact, that she didn't feel too comfortable in what she was wearing that night, so this is a way of telling her that she's beautiful." I smile.

"Really Lee?" He looks up at me, confusion running over his face. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but because I am your best friend it's my duty to do so." He waits for the rest of my assertion. "Lee, that is a horrible present to give to her." He flinches with shock.

"What?" He defended. "I gave a whole story behind it and you still say that it's horrible?"

"Yes, because you're ignoring what she is implying, even though you claim you're not." Lee still looked confused so I rambled on. "For example, you say that you understand her reasoning behind waiting, yet you're standing in a Victoria's Secret store buying her lingerie, its like giving someone a raspberry pie after they say that they are allergic to it, or cooking meatloaf for a vegetarian."

"Okay why do all these points revolve around food?" I raise my hands up, upset for him not getting the moral point.

"I don't know maybe because you ate my sub sandwich and I'm still hungry!" I declare.

"Well you gave it to me!"

"The point is." I continue, ignoring his justification. "Is that it's inconsiderate." I tap him on the back as we head to the register. "It's okay young Lee, you still have a lot to learn."

By the time Lee and I had gotten to is place, his parents had gone out for a grocery spree. When we left the mall, I persuaded Lee to go on a different route, so instead of buying something from Victoria's Secret, he went to James Avery to start a charm for her. I was 100 percent sure that she was going to love it when he gave it to her tomorrow. He was lying on his bed, his phone plastered to his ear. Rachel had taken his attention by the time we got back. She called him about an hour ago, and they were still talking. I smile to myself as I type away on my stupid english paper. The English paper that was due last week, but the queen of procrastination here, decided that next week would be a better time to turn something in. I tried not to listen to his mumbles, but I couldn't help it. I heard laughs and a few 'I love yous' and it made me sick, I had to admit. But I loved how it made Lee feel. I was happy to know that he found someone, because other than me, he needed someone to love. I craned my neck around to see the back of Lee's head facing me, his feet kicked up on the top of his bed where his pillows were. I wondered just how much you could fit a climax to a friendship in 7 months. You couldn't. Yet we had 7 months before we were drawn out into the real world and I wondered how that would have an effect on our relationship. Sure we were best friends, but what if it only sustains because we are always so close together. College included. I worried about the distance we would be from each other and if our friendship could make it if one of us went overseas.Nevertheless, Lee and I had been best friends before we even knew what best friends were called and I couldn't imagine a time when we weren't. We've made it through alot together and even though some of those things might fade away, like the rules or the moments playing DDR, we will always find a way to each other. I check my watch and noticed it was 10 minutes before 7. Quickly, I launched a pillow from his desk at him. His head snaps up and I laugh.

"Hey loser, I think I'm gonna head out." I called out to him, after he disconnected his phone from his ear.

"Need a ride?" He mouthed in silence. I shake my head.

"Nah. It's not dark yet." I reply and turn his Mac off. "Tell Rach I said hey." I called out to him in the doorway. There was a moment in which I turned my head to the left and saw Noah's room. The door was closed shut and all lights were out. My legs started to twitch in the door's direction, but I commanded them to do something else. I shook my head to myself and made my way down the stairs. June was in the fridge when I accomplished the last step.

"Hey Elle!" She called out. I turn and wave. "On your way out?" I nod.

"Yeah. It's getting dark soon, and I don't have my car so…" June just smiles.

"Okay." She smiled, shutting the fridge. "Goodnight Elle."

"Goodnight June." I called back to her.


End file.
